Indian badminton player Tanya Hemant won the women’s singles title at the 31st Iran Fajr International Challenge in Tehran on Sunday, February 5. However, her father was unable to watch the tournament at the venue because of rules in Iran disallowing men from attending the matches.

Tanya defeated Tasnim Mir from Iran 7-21, 11-21 in the women’s singles final. In the medal ceremony, Tanya was pictured wearing a headscarf as she stood smiling with the gold medal. According to sources, wearing headscarves is mandatory for women medal winners in Tehran and it has been the practice in the past as well. “The players were not asked to wear headscarves or follow any stringent dress code while playing. It was only during the prize distribution that they had to follow the dress code, which included wearing a headscarf,” a source said. 

A relative told TNM that Tanya’s father Hemanth Kumar could not watch the match or the medal ceremony due to the tournament policy against allowing men to enter the venue. “This has been the norm at the tournament and it is something that is followed. We are just happy that she’s managed to win,” the relative said.